ACLU of Pennsylvania Statement on State House Passage of Restrictive Abortion Bans

ACLU of Pennsylvania Statement on State House Passage of Restrictive Abortion Bans

December 12, 2017

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HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed legislation today to further restrict women’s access to abortion care in the commonwealth, sending the bill on to Governor Tom Wolf for his consideration. The bill narrows the timeframe in which a woman can have an abortion, from the current 24 weeks gestation to 19 weeks, and criminalizes a common method of abortion. It has been described by some advocates as one of the most extreme bans on abortion in the nation.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania has been among the opponents of Senate Bill 3. The following can be attributed to Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania:

“Federal courts have ruled repeatedly that the government cannot place an undue burden on women’s access to abortion. Clearly, this bill does exactly that. And that is certainly the motivation of the bill’s supporters. They will not be satisfied until women have no legal access to abortion.

“We are grateful for Governor Wolf’s vow to veto this hurtful bill. We will do everything we can to ensure that this legislation is never implemented.”

The following can be attributed to Elizabeth Randol, legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania:

“Legislators were told repeatedly by medical practitioners that this legislation is flawed and harmful to women’s health. But in the interest of furthering an extreme agenda, legislators simply did not care. This is another example of the Pennsylvania General Assembly running roughshod over women’s choices and their rights.”